For the Love of Quidditch
by make-each-day-count
Summary: James Potter, an arrogant Quidditch star, is forced to come to Hogwarts in order to play in the World Cup. He sets his sights on Lily Evans, who isn't interested in his player status and arrogance. Is there room for love in Quidditch? JP/LE
1. Chapter 1: A Prat, but a Gorgeous Prat

_**A/N: **__**Hello! This is my first Lily/James fic! It's not your average L/J fic, but it'll be good promise! Please drop a review to give me any advice, tell me what you like, don't like! Thank you, and I hope you like it!**_

_**Diclaimer: Sadly, I don't own Harry Potter.**_

_**5/13/12- I have made some corrections and added to this first chapter to improve it. Enjoy.**_

_**Lily POV**_

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"Lily! Get up, you freak!"

My poor bedroom door burst open with a loud thud as my delightful older sister Petunia stomped into my room.

I should let you know, I'm fluent in sarcasm.

"Lily, get up! You're late enough as it is, and I need to drop you off at King's Cross to get you to the train! Wouldn't want to miss the train to your freak school, now would you?"She sneered, tossing her blonde hair over her shoulder.

"Go away, Tuney. Sleep is a dear friend of mine, we're just catching up." I said, voice syrupy with sleep. If she would leave me alone, I could fall asleep again, and go back to my wonderful dream about Petunia's hair turning bright purple and being attacked by Nargles.

"Lily, you've slept all summer. Get up, we're leaving in half an hour." She ripped the blankets off my body cruelly, before attempting to pull me up.

"Petunia, gerroff! You're hurting me with your claws!" I said, slapping her hands away weakly.

"Claws? Excuse me, I just did my nails. Unlike, your horribly ruined buds, my nails are_ attractive._"

I looked down at my fingernails which were virtually nonexistent. It's always been a habit of mine to bite my nails. And yes, it is perfectly acceptable for a sixteen year old girl to chew at her fingers, thank you very much!

"Shut it, Tuney," I said, looking over at my clock, before glaring back at Petunia. "Petunia! It's six thirty! Why did you get me up, the train leaves at ten! We don't have to leave until nine at the latest!"

I quickly laid back down in my bed, pulling the covers over my head, trying to block out my annoying older sister.

"Lily, get up! Quit being such a prat, will you? Vernon is picking me up at nine to go out for breakfast, and I'll need some time to get ready without you annoying me."

"Where are Mum and Dad? Why can't they take me? I want to sleep!" I whined, hoping Petunia would leave.

"They left an hour ago to go visit Grandma. Dad wanted to get an early start." Petunia said, rolling her eyes, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Petunia, why can't you just take me later?" I said, desperately hoping she would allow me to sleep for at least a little while longer.

"Ugh, I've already told you, Lily. Get going, we're leaving in twenty minutes."

Dragging my feet in a childlike manner, I entered the bathroom to take a shower and get ready. Looking in the mirror, I was horrified to see dark purple rings under my bright green eyes. The contrast between the emerald and purple looked horrid, along with my bright red hair. I looked like a few bad Bertie Bott's Beans.

"LILY!" came Petunia's shrill voice from downstairs, "I haven't got all day!"

Rolling my eyes, I dressed quickly, and brought my luggage down the stairs, holding my owl, Tammy in her cage.

Panting as I lugged all my belongings to the car, I looked at Petunia incredulously. She was standing there, filing her nails.

"Seriously Tuney?"

"What?" She snapped, in a classic Petunia fashion.

"Maybe a little help?" I said slowly, as if I were speaking with a young child. She rolled her eyes, and got in the car, avoiding my request for help. I slipped her a rude hand gesture, making sure she saw me, before finally getting in the car myself.

"It's about time." She muttered. I groaned and swore under my breath at her stupidity.

The car ride lacked conversation, aside from Petunia's horrid singing of Muggle pop songs on the radio. I banged my head against the window, trying to alleviate the pain of her singing. It didn't work.

Not soon enough, we arrived at the train station. Petunia parked, and looked at me expectantly, waiting for me to get out. I hesitated before saying, "What do you expect me to do until ten o'clock? Just sit around?"

Petunia raised her perfectly shaped eyebrows before saying sharply, "Yes, that's exactly what I expect you to do. See you next summer, freak."

Taking this as my cue to leave, I sighed in exasperation and got out. I grabbed my things, and slammed the trunk closed extra hard for spite. Petunia quickly drove away, and I sighed sadly.

My sister and I had been best friends until I received my letter of acceptance to Hogwarts. When she discovered that I was magical and she was not, she became jealous, and hid her envy by constantly calling me a freak. She taunted me and made my times at home unbearable. Often, I wished she could be at Hogwarts with me, and I always hoped our relationship could be mended.

My eyes filled with unshed tears, and I quickly wiped them away. Today was my first day of my last year at Hogwarts. I was Head Girl, and this year would be everything I ever dreamed of. I wouldn't let Petunia get in the way of that. I could deal with her and her cow of a boyfriend, Vernon, next summer.

Turning quickly, I dragged my things to a cart, making the heavy load much easier to carry. Muggles walking past me gave me curious looks as I walked toward Platform 9 3/4. I guess it would look strange for a teenage girl to be walking alone with a ton of luggage and a dark brown owl early in the morning. Silly muggles.

Making sure no one was looking, I quickly ran through the wall to enter the hidden platform. The Hogwarts Express was there, but the platform was deserted. Not a soul was present. No idiot gets here this early. Well, except me of course.

Looking at the beautiful scarlet train, I started to pull my belongings on so I could claim the usual compartment my four dorm mates and I have shared for the past few years.

Panting and sweating by the time I was finished, I collapsed onto the plush cushions in the compartment. Maybe I should just sleep for a while. No one is here; we're not leaving for a couple of hours. I let my eyes droop, and my consciousness slowly began pulling away from me.

I jolted awake suddenly when the door to my compartment was opened, and two boys entered.

"And he told me I can't play for Puddlemere anymore unless I go to Hogwarts, and I was like- oi!" the first boy said, when he noticed me rubbing my eyes sleepily.

"Sorry," he said, not sounding apologetic at all, "Didn't see you in here."

Well, thanks, nice to know I'm invisible.

"Merlin, what time is it?" I said, combing my long red hair through my fingers in an attempt to control it from my inevitable bed head.

"About ten fifteen." The first boy said, smirking at me. He was pretty cute. His hazel eyes were gleaming mischievously at me behind his glasses, and his black hair was unruly, sticking up chaotically in the back. His body was incredibly fit, and I found myself staring at him, wishing I was in his toned arms.

What? Lily, you don't even know him! Desperate much?

But look at him! He's gorgeous!

He could be a prat!

A gorgeous prat!

Shut up!

You shut up!

You would snog him.

...Quiet.

I snapped myself out of my internal argument when I finally noticed the second boy behind the gorgeous, but possible, prat.

"Evans!" He boomed in a barking voice filled with laughter.

"Sirius!" I yelled, hopping off of my seat to give him a hug. He tightened his grip on me and swung me around as I laughed.

"How've you been Black?" I said, once he had put me back down on the ground.

"Alright, I suppose. Finally moved out." He said darkly, the light in his silver eyes vanishing.

Sirius had never gotten along with his family. He had wanted to move out since he had been shunned by them at eleven years old, when he had been sorted into Gryffindor while the rest of his family were Slytherins. Home was hell for him, and I was glad he had finally escaped.

"Where are you staying? You know the Evans household will always be open to you." I said, with a joking wink as I squeezed his hand supportively.

"Thanks Evans, but I'm staying with an old friend. Old Jamesie boy here." He said, gesturing to the first boy.

I turned to him, and held out my hand. "Hello old Jamesie boy, nice to meet a good friend of Sirius'." I smiled warmly at him, and he took my hand in his.

Once he had released my hand, he gestured to me and Sirius, raising his eyebrows. "Are you two together?" He asked, apprehensively.

I laughed lightly as Sirius doubled over chuckling, and answered James saying, "No, far from it. He may have tried snogging me when we were fourteen, but no, we're just mates."

James seemed pleased with this answer, because he grinned widely saying, "Does that mean I have a chance, err, Evans, was it?"

I laughed at this statement, pointedly ignoring his question, before replying, "My name is Lily Evans."

"James Potter." He said, lifting his chin up confidently.

"James Potter… Your name sounds familiar. Do I know you from somewhere? Have we met?" I inquired, genuinely interested.

"Star chaser of the Puddlemere United Quidditch team." He replied arrogantly, running his hand through his hair.

Annoyed at his cockiness, I tried to change the subject. "So, you're new at Hogwarts?"

His confident grin faded, and I could tell he was surprised that I didn't inquire further about his Quidditch skills, "Yeah. My parents told me I couldn't play in the World Cup this year unless I went to school for a while. I'll at least make it as fun as I can while I'm here. Play a few good pranks, snog a few girls, you know." He said with a wink, and wiggled his eyebrows suggestively at me. "Maybe someone like you, Evans."

Sirius snorted loudly behind me.

Now I was really annoyed. There was no way I was going to be one of those girls. I wouldn't just be a good snog for James Potter. I decided then and there that I would avoid James Potter, arrogant Quidditch star at all costs.

And there was no way I would ever snog him. Ever.

Even if he was ridiculously good looking.

Merlin Lily, stop thinking like that!


	2. Chapter 2: Alright, Evans?

**A/N: I'm back! This chapter isn't great, it's just a filler. So, don't judge hahah. I didn't get a chance to proofread either, so I will come back to fix mistakes later. Thanks to ToothpasteDrool who helped me out, and VictoryNike for reviewing! Reviews mean the world, so please drop one so I know what to improve on, or what you like/dislike! Thanks :D**

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"Evans? Oi, Evans?"

Oh, bugger. I was completely spacing out at James Potter's face.

"Huh?"

"Evans? I asked if you wanted to be my first snog at Hogwarts!"

Oh, that's right. The prat wanted to snog me.

"Excuse me?"

James threw his hands up in frustration, "Evans, what don't you understand? I want to snog you!"

I looked at Sirius, who had been trying to suppress his laughter, and was shaking with silent chuckles. I slapped him on the back of his head. He straightened up, but his face was beginning to turn purple from holding his breath.

"No, I understand perfectly fine, James. But no, thank you." I said, crossing my arms over my chest.

James grinned. "Excellent. Sirius, get out- wait what? Did you say no?"

I smirked, as Sirius burst out in loud guffaws, holding his side. "Actually, I said no, _thank you._"

James looked positively shocked before he moved forward, snaking one arm around my waist, moving his mouth next to my ear, a little too close for comfort. Well, he was certainly forward.

"Are you sure?" he whispered in my ear, giving me goose bumps, "Most girls would be honored to snog James Potter. I've got quite the reputation, you know."

I wiggled out of his grasp, looking at Sirius with a what-the-bloody-hell-is-wrong-with-your-friend expression. Sirius just shrugged, grinning from ear to ear.

"I'm sorry Potter, but I'm not interested in just being a girl you snog because you're bored. I'm sure you can find plenty of other willing candidates, though. It is quite the, err… honor." I said, my voice full of sarcasm.

"But, Evans-" James started, looking confused.

Sirius cut him off, placing a hand on James' shoulder. "Give it a rest, mate. Don't want to mess with Evans' temper; trust me, I know from personal experience."

James looked shocked at this, but I grinned. Giving Sirius a half hug, I decided to go and look for my friends. I turned to slide open the compartment door, and sauntered out, swaying my hips from side to side ridiculously just to get to James, whose gaze I could feel on me.

Looking in each of the compartments, I found my four friends sitting with two boys. My best friend Marlene tackled me when she saw me, while Alice, Mary, and Dorcas all gave me calm, but affectionate hugs. I gave the two boys, Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew hugs as well, as they were good friends of mine. Remus and Peter were best friends with Sirius, and they would probably acquaint themselves with James as well. I scowled at the thought of that toerag.

"What's wrong Lils?" Marlene said, noticing my expression. I filled all of them in with my recent encounter with Potter and found all the girls looking shocked, while the boys snickered.

"What is it, you two?" I said angrily to the boys.

Remus tried to control himself, before saying, "James is one of our best friends!"

Traitor. Bloody Traitor.

"What?" I squeaked.

"James, Sirius, Peter, and I have been friends for years!" Remus said, looking happy. Too happy. A right hook could fix that. As I contemplated the best way to take Remus down, Mary interrupted my thoughts.

"Do you think he'll sign an autograph for my brother?"

More traitors! They're outnumbering me!

I scowled, as the great prat himself and Sirius walked in.

"Don't worry everyone, I'm here. I know you all missed me!" Sirius said with a grin while everyone rolled their eyes, but smiled at him.

"Err… it's a bit cozy in here, don't you think?" Peter said, trying to shift into a comfortable position between Remus and the window.

Yes, it was too crowded, indeed. There were nine of us in a compartment that fit six at the maximum, usually. Time to escape from Potter.

"I have to go to the Head's compartment anyways, so I'll be off. See you lot at the feast!" I said quickly, scurrying out the door. I wanted to get away from Potter as soon as possible, and Peter's observation had given me the perfect opportunity.

I heard the door to the compartment I had just exited open and close again, and I spun around to see Potter smirking at me. I felt my anger rise quickly, and shot him a dirty look.

"Alright, Evans?"

"Fine." I responded shortly, crossing my arms over my chest.

I turned on my heel to go to the Head's compartment when I noticed Potter was following me. As I quickly slipped into the right compartment, Potter followed me there, too.

"Listen Potter, I was serious before, I'm not interested!"

His smirk grew even wider. The prat.

"Potter, quit it! You're not allowed in here!"

Potter's grin grew so large I questioned how it was staying on his face. Oh yeah, because of his big head.

"Well, I might be new to Hogwarts, but I know for a fact that I'm allowed in here."

I rolled my eyes, "Potter, only Head Boy and Head Girl are allowed in here, you're-"

I stopped midsentence when he pulled out a shining silver badge reading "HEAD BOY".

Merlin, you've got to be kidding.

"How in the name of Merlin did you get that? Please tell me you knicked it from Remus." I said in a panicky voice. I could not have Potter be my fellow Head. We would have to share a dorm!

Oh Merlin, what if he looked through my knickers drawer?

Potter chuckled, "Afraid not, Evans. Meet your fellow Head." He winked, and tried to push a piece of my hair behind my ear. I slapped his hand away, making him laugh again.

"James, listen. Being Head Girl is huge for me. Please, I'm asking you to take this seriously. I've been working for this for six years, and it means a lot to me. I know you just got the position handed to you on a silver platter, but it took a lot for me to get here. Please, don't treat it like a joke." I said, in a calm, monotone voice, different than my normal tone with Potter.

Potter just stared at me blankly. I sighed. Did anything I just said get through his thick skull?

Of course I was angry. I had been earning exceptional grades since first year, worked past the prejudice Slytherins threw at me for being a Muggle born, and worked as a prefect. I had earned Head Girl through all of my hard work and persistence.

Potter, on the other hand had just been handed the title. He hadn't even gone to Hogwarts up until now! Why did he, of all people, get the position?

"It was Dumbledore."

I looked up to see James looking serious and staring right at me.

"What?" I said, confused by his sudden statement.

"Err… Dumbledore. He gave me the position because he thought I would be a good role model. A lot of kids look up to me, with me playing Quidditch professionally and all," he said, before stuttering, "S- so-sorry, that sounds arrogant… But that's why Dumbledore gave me the Head badge. Thought kids would listen and follow my lead, and err, the likes. He also said you and I would get on well. Something about balancing each other out… I won't mess this up, Evans. I promise." He finished nervously, staring at his feet.

It made sense, I suppose. Potter was probably a role model to most kids, and as long as he did his part of the job, it could work. I would be willing to help him if he extended the courtesy to me.

I held out my hand, and Potter looked up from his feet. He gave me a smile, although this one was different from his previous grins and smirks. It was genuine, and it made me smile back.

I decided Potter wasn't _all_ bad.

He took my hand and shook it, before pulling me close to him, and brushing his lips against mine quickly.

"Potter! You arse!"

"When opportunity knocks, I answer the door, Evans."

I huffed, and sat down next to the window, ignoring the tugging at the corners of my mouth and the inevitable blush on my cheeks.


	3. Chapter 3: Please, Merlin, Be A Dream

_**A/N: THANK YOU SO MUCH TO ALL MY REVIEWERS! IT MEANS SO MUCH! Thanks to JessandDarcy, ToothpasteDrool, ukie-girl, MsTonksLupin, WhyWhatShutup, and a fucking veela for reviewing! Honestly, those reviews made me write so much faster, it was awesome(: I hope you guys enjoy this, and let me know what you think in a review! :))**_

_**P.S. Harry Potter ABC Family weekend, anyone? ;)**_

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We arrived at Hogwarts right on time, and Merlin, it felt good to be home.

I never fully appreciate the old castle when I'm there, but when I leave for breaks, I always miss all of it like crazy. The moving staircases, the Fat Lady, the delicious feasts, heck, I even miss Peeves.

Well, I don't really miss Peeves all that much. He's a git, dead or not.

But I do miss the magic. Being a Muggle born, I don't think I'll ever completely get over how amazing magic is. Spells, charms, potions; it's still surreal after six years of living in the magical world.

My friends think I'm a bit off sometimes with my awe of all things magical.

"Lily?"

"Oi, Lils!"

"Um, Lil? What are you doing?"

I snap out of my tranquil moment of staring at the bewitched ceiling of the Great Hall to grin at Marlene.

"Merlin, just look at it, Mar! It's exactly like outside, but they charmed it! Can you believe that! It's so wicked!" I whip my head back again to stare up at the starry ceiling, and can practically feel Marlene roll her eyes at me.

"Lily, it's always been like that. We learned that in first year, remember? It's no different this year than any other." Marlene says slowly, like speaking to a toddler. Sirius and Remus laugh, and I feel my face heat up, so I look down at my hands in my lap.

"Pureblood." I mutter under my breath, before the giant doors to the Great Hall open, revealing Professor McGonagall leading her parade of first years in to be sorted. I take a sip of my pumpkin juice and spit it out all over Alice, who had been sitting across from me, when I see Potter at the back of the line of first years, towering over them.

I try to suppress my laughter as I lean over to Sirius, sitting on my right, and whisper, "What in the name of Merlin is he doing?"

Sirius sniggers before replying, "Well, this is his first year at Hogwarts. Everyone has to be sorted."

Foolishly taking another sip of my pumpkin juice, I snorted loudly making the beverage come out of my nose. After receiving a nasty glare from McGonagall and smacking Sirius on the arm, I looked up to find Potter staring at me, his eyes alight with amusement. Rolling my eyes, I returned my attention to the Sorting Hat.

When McGonagall called Potter's name, the room was suddenly filled with buzzing excitement. All four houses wanted Potter, not only because he was a famous, but because whatever house he was in would inevitably win the Quidditch House Cup. Some Ravenclaw even yelled out, "Potter for Ravenclaw!" before the Sorting Hat was placed on his overly large (yet filled with dust particles) head. Potter shot them a thumbs up, before looking in my direction. I could have sworn he winked at me.

Oh Merlin, Potter would never leave me alone if he was in Gryffindor. Head duties were going to be enough quality time with him already.

I could see him being in Ravenclaw, he made some pretty witty remarks on the train!

Or Hufflepuff, he's letting Sirius live with him! He must be a loyal friend!

Or Slytherin… he has been pretty evil…

Just anything but-

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Fate seems to hate me today.

Potter sauntered down the length of the long table, and I noticed his eyes fixed on me. I gulped uncomfortably and averted eye contact quickly. Unfortunately, Potter wasn't done with me yet. He shimmied in between me and Sirius to sit down, and threw an arm around my shoulder.

"Potter, gerroff!" I squealed, trying to escape his strong grip. Unfortunately, he just tightened his hold on me, and I shot Marlene a desperate look. She smirked and rolled her eyes. Hmm, some best mate. If some strange boy were manhandling her, I would have hexed him! But no, not Marlene. She probably enjoys my pain. I mentally add her to the list of traitors before I notice that Potter is talking to me.

"Err, what? Sorry, didn't catch that."

Potter sighs dramatically, and removes his arm from my shoulder to clutch his heart with both hands.

"Evans, I was just saying that I'm thrilled we'll be spending so much time together this year. I have a feeling you and I'll be pretty close by graduation." He said with a suggestive wink, placing his hand conveniently on my knee. Flushing from embarrassment, I pushed his hand off of my knee, and muttered, "Sod off, Potter."

Potter smirked, and Sirius looked at me, grinning like a fool.

"He won't give up that easy, Evans, trust me."

Sighing, I spared a glance at Potter and said, "I can tell."

Professor Dumbledore stood up at the head of the room, clanging his spoon ungraciously against his goblet. When the hall had died down enough for him to be heard, he began to speak.

"Welcome back students! I hope you all found your summers to be enjoyable. A quick announcement, I would like all of the students of Hogwarts to give their warmest welcomes to a Mr. James Potter, our new Head Boy!"

All of the female population of Hogwarts whipped their heads towards James with wide eyes, practically drooling. Hmm, I'm sure they'd give him their warmest welcomes if the opportunity presented itself.

"James, a few words?" I heard Dumbledore say, and James stood up, amplifying his voice with his wand.

"Hello, everyone! I'm so happy to be here. I'm James Potter, and as I'm sure most of you know, I play Chaser for the Puddlemere United." I rolled my eyes and heard Sirius sniggering loudly.

"I'd just like to say that I'm excited for this school year, and can't wait until we all become mates." He said, with a charming smile. Merlin, he might be a prat, but I couldn't help but admit he was charming.

"Thank you James, anything else?" Professor Dumbledore said kindly.

"Oh yes, just one more thing!" James said, a mischievous look in his eyes. Before I could process what was happening, James was pulling my arm to pull me to my feet, and had snaked an arm around my waist. Sirius was laughing loudly now, as were my darling friends. My face turned bright red, and my eyes darted to the floor as I tried to discreetly escape Potter's grip once again.

"I just wanted to introduce my fellow Head, Miss Lily Evans. I also just wanted to profess my deep, undying love for her as well. Back off mates, this bird is mine."

At this point Sirius was rolling on the floor laughing, and I actually pinched myself. This could not be happening. Maybe I was still in bed at home, and this was all just a bad dream. I discreetly pinched myself on the arm and felt a small surge of pain.

Oh Merlin. This was real.


	4. Chapter 4: Late Night Discoveries

**A/N: Alright, I'll admit, I don't like this chapter. Not my best, but it had to be done. Anyways, hope you guys like it better than I do. Your reviews are literally making me happier than you could believe! It's so nice to see reviews after stressing over finals! Once summer starts officially (Friday!), reviews will be more constant :) Thanks to VictoryNike, TabbySparks, TheLoveHeist, and RandomHumanOnEarth for reviewing! You guys make me smile to myself like a weirdo as I stare at my computer. I adore all of you that reviewed(:**

**Anyways, if you guys wanna check out my new JP/LE one-shot, Umbrella, it would be apreciated(;**

**I don't expect this story to be very long, but I love writing it, so who knows? We'll see ;)**

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Saying that I was angry at James Potter would be quite the understatement.

After his little announcement in the Great Hall, I moved as far away from him as possible. I felt his gaze on me throughout dinner, but I expertly avoided his awkward eye contact. I wanted nothing to do with Potter, and decided that he needed to know our relationship would be strictly professional. Only Head Boy and Girl Duties, nothing else. I planned to tell him when we were both in the Head's Common Room that night.

Until then, I would avoid him at all costs.

When the feast was over, I stood up so quickly that I practically knocked a first year to the ground. I muttered a quick apology before heading to the Gryffindor Common Room to hide from Potter.

I reached the Fat Lady in record time, screeched the password, and tripped my way up the stairs. To my utmost surprise, my four friends were sitting on their respective beds, presumably waiting for me. I stood there for a moment, catching my breath, before Marlene said, "Care to explain?"

What? They thought Potter and I actually had a _thing_? I looked around the room at all my friends to see them all wearing identical expressions of curiosity.

"I couldn't explain it myself, because I have no idea what happened."

"Lily, he wouldn't just do that randomly!" Alice said, always the voice of reason.

I recounted the story of when I discovered Potter was Head Boy, how he acted different when he promised to take his duties seriously, and really, genuinely smiled at me, and gave me that feather light kiss.

When I was finished, all the girls looked as if they were about to pee their pants.

"Oh my Merlin, Lily! He fancies you!" Mary exclaimed, jumping up and down on her bed.

"No, he doesn't!" I said, throwing my arms in the air, "He just likes to bother me for his own amusement!"

I wanted to believe my own words, but something fluttered in my stomach at the thought of James Potter fancying me. The sensible part of me knew that a famous Quidditch star like James Potter, who could have any girl he wanted, would never want plain old Lily Evans. Sure, I don't think I'm ugly. But I'm not gorgeous, or anything special. I'm just average. As I came to this realization, my heart sunk. James Potter could never fancy someone like me.

Wait, why did I even care? He was an annoying prat. I was angry with him. Right?

"Lily? Get out of Lily land, and wake up! We're talking to you!" Marlene screeched loudly.

"Sorry," I muttered, "I was just thinking."

"About how you fancy James and want to snog him senseless?"

"What? No, shut up Marlene! I don't fancy him! He's an arse. I only met him today!" I said, taking a seat next to Dorcas on her bed, closest to the door.

"Lily, take a chance!" Mary exclaimed, obviously ecstatic at the prospect of me dating James Potter.

I looked at Dorcas, who had her hands folded in her lap, and was looking at them silently.

"Dorcas? You've been awfully quiet. Are you alright?" I said gently.

"Lily, I think you should be careful. James is my brother's favorite Quidditch player, but Quidditch isn't the only game he's a great player at. His reputation is awful. He's known for jumping from one girl to another without looking back. I just don't want to see you get hurt because he cares more about his reputation than you." She said, looking at me calmly.

I suddenly felt an immense appreciation for the girls I called my best friends for six years. I leaned over and embraced Dorcas and said, "I won't get hurt."

Dorcas looked at me and smiled before saying, "Even if you do, we'll be here for you."

I smiled back at her and released her from my hug before getting up and saying, "Besides, I don't even fancy him. So, no problem there. I've got to go, though, it's almost curfew, and I don't want to get into trouble on my first day as Head Girl. See you lot at breakfast in the morning, yeah?"

The girls all voiced their agreements and I made my way to the Head's Dormitories. As I was walking through an empty corridor, I heard noises in a broom closet.

The first night here and people were already snogging in the broom closets. Honestly, people need some class. At least wait until the third night back. Merlin.

Knowing it was my responsibility as Head Girl to stop them, I whipped the door open to find Potter snogging some sixth year Hufflepuff. They broke apart quickly, and I felt my face flush red.

Potter was already snogging other girls. I was right; I didn't mean a thing to him. For some reason I felt incredibly disappointed by this, and I hoped it didn't show on my face.

I think it did, though, because Potter's face paled, and he scrambled toward me, reaching for my arm, "Hey Evans." He said, barely audible. I moved my arm out of his grasp, and trying to keep my voice from wavering said, "It's past curfew, but since it's the first night back, I won't dock points. Return to your dormitories immediately before Filch catches you."

And with that, I turned on my heel and walked off quickly, ignoring Potter's calls for me to come back. I had no idea what he wanted from me, but I didn't care, either. He was a git who didn't care about his Head duties or me.

Of course I was disappointed. His act on the train that he would take his Head duties seriously was obviously fake. His promise hadn't been genuine, even though he knew how much being Head Girl meant to me.

I was more disappointed in myself, though, for believing the toerag.

I suddenly found myself even angrier at James Potter than before.


	5. Chapter 5: A Chance

A/N: Hello everyone! Here's the next chapter! Okay, so if you guys are a little confused at all, don't worry, things will start to make sense with coming chapters, promise! ;) This story won't be super long, but we've still got a lot to go don't worry! Thanks to ukie-girl, lovelikewoe13, and VictoryNike for reviewing! Check out any of my other James/Lily one-shots if you've got any time, it would mean a lot!

Reviews are like the amazing feeling when Harry Potter wins Best Cast and Best Hero at the MTV Movie Awards. (Even if they deserved all of them...) So leave a review and make my day :)

Perks of Being a Wallflower Trailer was AMAZING.

Okay, done rambling... now.

R&R :)

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The next morning, I reluctantly dragged myself out of the warm comfort of my bed and sluggishly made my way down to the Great Hall for breakfast. I plopped down next to Sirius who was sitting by himself reading the Daily Prophet and put my head on his shoulder, closing my eyes and hoping for the comfort of sleep to come back to me.

His hard shoulder provided no such comfort, though.

"Your head is a bloody awful pillow." I grumbled, crossing my arms and putting my head down on the table.

"You're most certainly not a morning person, Lily." I heard Remus chuckle, and I lifted my head up to see him and Peter sit down across from me.

"That's an understatement. Prongs and I found her asleep in an empty compartment on the Hogwarts Express yesterday morning." I heard Sirius say, barking with laughter.

"Who the bloody hell is Prongs?" I said, my curiosity winning over the snappy retort I was going to throw back at him.

"Merlin, Lily, for being the brightest witch in our year, you really need some common sense. Who was the one person with me when we woke you up yesterday morning?" Sirius said, lightly slapping the back of my head.

I glared at him, before realizing who Prongs was.

Potter.

"Oh, Prongs is… Potter… right." I said, smiling sheepishly for being so daft.

"Speaking of, Lils, let's go for a walk. I need to talk to you." Sirius said, pushing his hair out of his face and standing up, giving Remus and Peter a knowing look. He gently pulled me up with him, and we walked out of the Great Hall. I tried to hide my scowl from him for taking me away from the most important meal of the day, but found a more pressing issue on my mind.

Speaking of? What did Potter have to do with anything? Why would Sirius want to talk to me about Potter? What was with the look he gave Remus and Peter?

Sirius and I walked down to the Lake and sat down near the water, the start of a wonderfully warm September day.

"Listen Lily, about last night…" Sirius began saying, and realization hit me like a bludger to the head. Oh Merlin. He wanted to talk about yesterday.

"I don't really want to talk about that." I said quickly, hoping Sirius wouldn't be a stubborn arse and would listen to me for once.

No such luck.

"No, Lils, listen. James was really hung up about it. It's strange to tell you the truth. He just stormed into our dormitory and told us how guilty he felt when you found him in that broom closet. Normally he wouldn't give a rat's arse, but I don't know, Lils. He wouldn't quit talking about how bloody awful he felt. He's never kept us up for the whole damn night talking about his _feelings _for a girl. Usually he just talks about the snogging. I guess my point is, don't hate him, Lily. I think he actually cares about you. He's never talked about a girl like that, and trust me, he's done worse than get caught snogging with a girl by another girl who he's not even with. Just give him a chance, Lily."

I honestly had no idea as to what I was supposed to say to this. I was overwhelmed by two different feelings: I was still annoyed with Potter for completely disregarding his Head duties but I was also completely giddy at the fact he seemed to care so much for me. These emotions made me completely and utterly confused on what in Merlin's name I was supposed to think of James Potter now.

"Lils? Lily, hello?" Sirius said, snapping me out of my thoughts.

"Oh, sorry. I was just… err, thinking."

"Just a chance, Lily. That's all I'm asking of you. He's my best friend; he can't be that bad of a guy, right?" Sirius chuckled, bumping my shoulder with his own.

"I'll think about it, Sirius." I said, sighing. I didn't really know what to think. I had only met the bloke yesterday, and he'd already infuriated me, embarrassed me, but still gave me butterflies in the tummy. I had no idea why I was so disappointed when he was snogging that Hufflepuff. It's not like he's _mine_. I didn't fancy him. I didn't even know him!

I blame it all on bloody hormones. Damn teenage years.

"Good girl." Sirius said, standing up and helping me to my own feet.

"Yeah, yeah…" I muttered, making Sirius snicker.

We walked back to the Great Hall to find it nearly empty, and after receiving our schedules from McGonagall walked to Potions, our first class.

I laughed loudly at a joke Sirius had just told me as we entered the classroom, when I heard a male voice calling, "Lily! Hey, I saved you a seat over here!"

I looked up to see the one and only James Potter calling my name with such hopefulness in his eyes that he resembled a small boy. My heart fluttered a bit at his expression, and I felt myself blush. I noticed all of the other girls in the room giving me dirty looks like they wanted to hex me into oblivion.

I felt Sirius pinch my arm, and I looked at him, noticing his smirk at my red face as he cocked his head towards James. Taking his hint, I nodded and smiled at James, listening to Sirius' request of giving the bloke a chance.

James grinned widely, and gestured to the empty seat to his right. I hesitated, unsure of what to do.

To sit, or not to sit?

Of course, I didn't really get a choice. Sirius roughly shoved me forward, making it very clear what he wanted me to do. I turned around and scowled at his grinning face, before slowly walking over to James, who was grinning broadly.

I sat down, taking notice of how James automatically scooted his chair closer to mine. I leaned away from him, trying to get him out of my personal bubble. He wasted no time before talking.

"Listen, Lily, I am so sorry about yesterday! I can't even begin to tell you-"

I cut him off, for Sirius had already given me an earful, and I was a bit crabby about not having my breakfast, "Sirius already told me how bad you feel."

James just stared at me, his mouth opening and closing, opening and closing. "He didn't."

I raised my eyebrows at his reaction, and slowly replied, "He did."

"THAT BLOODY WANKER PROMISED HE WOULDN'T SAY ANYTHING!"

The whole class had now focused their attention on us, and I scowled at the thought that whenever I was with James Potter, some form of embarrassment always managed to happen to me.

"Merlin, Potter! Take it easy!" I said, trying my best to calm the bloke down.

Potter turned his chair around to look at Sirius and said in a low, gruff voice, "We'll talk later." Sirius just laughed heartily before winking at me. I rolled my eyes, but couldn't hide my amusement.

Potter had now refocused his attention on me again. "Lily, I really am sorry. I never wanted you to get hurt. She meant nothing to me-"

Oh Merlin. Potter thought I was jealous. Which I kind of was, but I was angry because the git broke his promise to be a good Head Boy! He completely missed the point!

Ignoring the fact that Potter was still rambling, I cut him off, "Potter, I'm not mad you were snogging her. I'm just seriously peeved you weren't taking your Head's duties seriously, after you promised you would!"

Potter had the decency to look ashamed, but he looked into my eyes with a mischievous glint in his own and said, "Evans, I'm sorry about being a bad Head Boy, really, I am. I'll do better, but you're a terrible liar. You most definitely hated the fact that my first snog at Hogwarts wasn't you."

Irritated by his arrogance and the fact that his words actually contained some truth, I was relieved to see Slughorn finally start the class, ending our conversation.

"Good morning class! Welcome back to your seventh! Look at the person sitting next to you. Say hello to your new partner for the rest of the year! I'll give you all a few minutes to get acquainted before we start today's lesson!" Slughorn said, cheerily. Merlin, that man would be cheerful even if Voldemort was attacking the castle.

I felt Potter nudge me and whisper in my ear, "Hey partner. Looks like we'll be spending even more time together this year than we originally thought."

I groaned and slammed my head against my desk, while Potter chuckled.

"Listen, Potter. Quit flirting. I want a good grade in this class, so no funny business, alright?" I said, trying my best to be stern and get the point across.

"Okay, Evans, got it. No funny business." He winked suggestively.

I raised my eyebrows and in a warning tone, said, "Potter…"

"Okay class, today we will be learning how to make a Calming Draught…" and at this I tuned Slughorn out, and rested my chin in my hand, when I noticed Potter slip a piece of paper toward me. I unfolded it and read.

**Let me take you out to dinner.**

_Why? Every girl in this school is falling all over you except for me. Like a challenge, huh?_

**No, I like you because you're different.**

_Because I don't throw myself at you?_

**Yeah, that's exactly why. You're not like other girls I've met.**

"Mr. Potter and Ms. Evans! I told you all to get acquainted with your new partners, but this is highly inappropriate! Give me that note at once!" Slughorn yelled, summoning the note quickly.

"Oh Merlin, Potter. Why do you always cause me such embarrassment?" I said under my breath, for only him to hear. He snickered and whispered back, "Only for you, Evans."

Slughorn was now reading the note to himself before announcing to the class, "Well, it seems Mr. Potter has asked Ms. Evans on a date."

My face was now beet red and even Potter was starting to blush and laugh uncomfortably. Why did that git have to read it out loud to the class? That's completely uncalled for! Just give me a detention instead!

"Well say yes, Evans! Give the bloke a chance!" Sirius yelled, and the rest of the class voiced their agreements.

"Come on, Evans!"

"Go out with him!"

"Say yes!"

Even Slughorn voiced his own excited, "Well, Ms. Evans?"

A Calming Draught sounded nice right about then…

I heard Sirius' voice from earlier today, 'Just give him a chance, Lily.' and looked at Potter. I didn't really have a choice now, did I? I sighed, and looked at Potter, who was staring at me with a flushed face and anxious eyes.

"Alright, fine. One date." I said, and the rest of the class cheered. Potter grinned widely.

"Excellent."

"Okay, now back to making the Calming Draught…"


	6. Chapter 6: Get to Know Him

**A/N: Hey guys, I'm back! Two updates in a row! Aren't you impressed? I am! Since I updated oh so fast and gave you guys two chapters, reviews would be greatly appreciated because I love my reviewers dearly :) Review please, and enjoy the story :)**

**Thanks to Ally for reviewing!**

**:)**

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As soon as class ended, I ran out quickly to try and avoid any awkward questioning by Potter or Sirius or any of Potter's jealous fan girls.

"Wait, Lily! Hey, wait up!"

I groaned, but stopped my power walking to let Potter catch up to me. He came up to my side, and started to walk with me.

"Where are you headed to now?" He said, smiling down at me, as he was a good six inches taller than me.

"Err…" I said, looking down at my newly acquired schedule, "Charms."

"Hey, me too! You wouldn't mind if I walked you there, would you?" He said, suddenly looking anywhere but at me, his eyes finding the floor quite interesting, and running a hand through his messy hair. His nervousness was much more endearing than his cockiness.

"Sure." I said, smiling shyly at him.

He finally looked up at me, his eyes bright and his trademark grin spread across his face. I found myself loving the fact that I was the one who put that grin there.

"You know, I like you a lot better when you act like this." I said, blocking my view of him with my long hair so I couldn't look at him.

"Huh?" He said, brows furrowed in confusion.

"You're much better company when you drop the cocky Quidditch star act, and act all cute and nervous like that." I said, quickly, and without thinking.

Potter just grinned so widely I was surprised his smile could fit on his face.

"You called me cute, Evans."

Oh bugger.

"What? No, I didn't."

"Yeah, you did!"

"No!"

"Yes!"

Knowing I had no other options and would ultimately lose the argument because I was lying about an obvious fact, I decided my best option was to run away.

Childish? Maybe, but it didn't stop me from sprinting away from the guy.

"I'll meet you in the Head's Common Room Saturday at seven for dinner!" he yelled, chuckling.

Still running, I entered the Charms classroom and was relieved to find Marlene already sitting there.

"Mar, I need to talk to you!" I screeched, making her jump.

I collapsed into the seat next to her and recounted the whole story from the broom closet incident to Sirius' talk to Slughorn's creepy interest in my love life, ending with my accidental slip of the word "cute". By the time I had finished, Marlene was in stitches of laughter, and couldn't even talk for a few minutes. I waited patiently for her to gain her composure, and she finally flipped her blonde hair over her shoulder, wiped a tear away from her laughter, and said, "Wow, your life is bloody fantastic."

Some best mate I have.

"What?" I said, completely confused as to why my life was so "bloody fantastic".

"You have a famous Quidditch player falling all over himself to be with you! Even his best friend told you so! Every girl at Hogwarts would kill to be you!" She said, looking at me like I was bonkers.

"I don't care about his fame! Mar, that's not what matters!" I said, and noticing Potter had sat down behind me, lowered my voice, "I only met him yesterday, Mar. But when he drops that cocky player act, I like him."

Marlene squealed loudly, making everyone look at us. I put my hand over her mouth with a sheepish look at our fellow peers and hissed, "What the bloody hell is wrong with you, Marley?"

"You… said… you liked him!" She giggled, with my hand still covering her mouth.

"No, I said, I like him when he drops the player act, which is only like half of the time!" I said, trying to be as quiet as I could, because I could feel Potter's eyes boring into the back of my head.

"Alright, well you said you like him, and you haven't said that much about a boy since Benjy, so excuse me if I think this is huge!" She said, waving her arms around excitedly.

I sighed. Of course she had to bring up Benjy. Benjy Fenwick had been my boyfriend from third year to fifth year, when I caught him snogging Emmeline Vance, another girl in our year. Since then, I had gone on a few dates, but never anything serious. I hadn't even uttered the words "I like him" in all that time. Well, until now.

"Mar, no need to freak out. I barely know the guy." I said, running my hand through my hair tiredly.

"Get to know him then." She stated simply, turning to face the front of the classroom when Flitwick started teaching.

I tried paying attention, but found it increasingly difficult with all that was on my mind. The last time I was in a serious relationship, it ended badly. Potter was known for being a player; Dorcas had even warned me about him being dangerous territory. Was it worth the risk? Was I even ready to trust another guy with my heart? If he hurt me, would it be worse than last time? Could I even-

"Lily, look at James." Marlene whispered quietly.

Making sure Flitwick had his back to us, I turned around to see James fast asleep holding his quill in his hand. He was drooling on his notes, and Remus, who was sitting next to him, pointed to a doodle near where James' hand with the quill lay. It was a small snitch with the letters LE inside. I smiled, knowing exactly what those letters stood for.

Lily Evans.


	7. Chapter 7: What the Bloody Hell?

**A/N: Alright, here's the next chapter! I left it on a bit of a cliffhanger, so don't worry if you're confused, you're meant to be! Things will all be explained in the next few chapters, mwahahaha :) Anyways, I'm uploading now because I'm tired and need sleep! Hahaha, thanks to .113, JessandDarcy, and VictoryNike for reviewing! You guys are awesome! Keep it up! Alright, enjoy chapter seven! Alright, R&R :)**

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The rest of the week passed by in a painfully boring and uneventful manner.

When I woke up on Saturday, I was terrified to see another person standing in my room, their back facing me, rummaging through the drawers in my dresser. I screamed, falling off my bed. I scrambled to grab my wand off of my bedside table, and cast a Jelly-Legs Jinx at the intruder, making them collapse on the floor suddenly.

"Lily, take this bloody jinx off of me now!" Marlene bellowed, and I sighed in relief upon seeing it was her, obeying her command. She used the bed as support to stand up, and shot me a dirty look.

Well. I'm sorry my reflexes exceed yours.

"Marley, you scared me! How did you get in here?" I exclaimed, heart still beating furiously from the surprise of waking up to another person in my room.

"Your boyfriend let me in." She shrugged turning back to my dresser.

"What? I don't- Marlene, he is not my boyfriend!" I said, finally understanding her strange thoughts.

"Well, you're going out tonight…" She said, throwing one of my shirts over her shoulder and onto the floor.

Oh Merlin. How could I forget? It's not like I had been stressing out about it all week. No, I would never do something like that.

"Lily, you've been stressing out about it all week…" I heard her say to me, tossing another shirt to the ground.

Okay, maybe I was a tad bit stressed…

"I have not!" I shouted indignantly, despite the fact it was a blatant lie.

Marlene just rolled her eyes, before taking out a nice green shirt of mine and yelling, "Perfect!"

She held it out for me to see, and laid it on my bed along with a short denim skirt. I eyed her questionably and she sighed, as if I couldn't be dafter.

"This," she pointed at the outfit, "is what you're going to wear tonight."

I grinned at her gratefully, before smiling, "Thanks Mar, you're the best."

She smiled back before replying, "What are best friends for? Now go take a shower and put that on."

"What?" I looked at my clock, "It's almost one! My date is in six hours!"

"Exactly! We need all the time we can get to prepare you!" She exclaimed, pushing me toward the bathroom door.

Rolling my eyes, I went to the bathroom and took an extra long shower before changing into the Marlene approved outfit. Using a Hot-Air Charm to dry my wavy hair, I walked back into my room to see Marlene looking at a picture album of my family.

"They don't move? They just stay still… that's so weird." She said, flipping the page and laughing at a baby picture of me with food all over my face.

"It's a Muggle thing." I said, laughing with her. She put the book back on my desk before turning to inspect me carefully.

"Excellent. He'll be drooling all over you." She said, smiling mischievously.

Marlene spent the rest of the day lecturing me on what is acceptable to say, to do, and how to flirt properly without seeming like a complete slag. After an hour of this, I tuned her out, occasionally nodding and saying, "Yes, mmhm,", although she didn't seem to notice for a long time.

"Lily? Are you even listening to me?"She said after a while, looking annoyed at my lack of response at something she had said.

"Mar, I've been on dates before…" I said, hoping she would just shut the bloody hell up already.

"Yes, but I can tell this one has real potential, and I don't want you to ruin it!" She exclaimed, flipping her hair tiredly.

Rolling my eyes and biting back a snappish retort about her lack of faith in me, I dropped it, but Marlene continued, "Alright, fine, I'll stop. Let me start your makeup and hair then."

Happy to oblige so she would quit the dating lecture, Marlene got to work on my hair and makeup. By the time she was finished, it was about five to seven. I looked in the mirror and was shocked by what I saw.

I looked good.

I mean, not to toot my own horn or anything, but I actually looked pretty. My normally wavy red hair fell down my back pin straight, and my eyes seemed especially green because of the makeup Marlene had used on me. I smiled at my reflection and gave Marlene a hug.

"Thanks for everything, Marley." I smiled.

"He'll be speechless." She giggled and I slapped her on the arm lightly.

"It's seven, Lil. Let's not keep the poor bloke waiting." She said, grabbing my hand to lead me to the Head's Common Room.

Potter was sitting on the couch, playing with his hands nervously. He was wearing a button up shirt and jeans, and despite my better judgment, I found myself ogling at him.

He looked really, _really_ good.

He stood up when he saw us enter the room, and his jaw dropped when his eyes fell on me. I smirked, and Marlene mouthed at me. _'He's drooling.'_

I tried to stifle a giggle, and Marlene suddenly said, "Well, I'll be off now. You too have fun, yeah?"

She sauntered out of the portrait hole before yelling something that sounded like, "Use protection!" over her shoulder.

I looked at Potter, who was blushing furiously, and I felt the heat rise to my face too. We stood there in silence for a while, before Potter finally spoke up.

"You… you look really beautiful, Evans."

Now my face was probably the color of my hair. I smiled softly at him, saying, "Thank you. You look pretty spiffy yourself."

Spiffy? No one ever says spiffy anymore! Why couldn't I have used any other adjective in the English language?

He chuckled, before opening the portrait hole for me, and we both exited. We walked for a while, casually chatting about homework before I realized I had no idea where we were going.

"Potter, where exactly are you taking me?" I asked, stopping in my tracks. Potter stopped walking too, and his eyes kept looking from my face to my hand, until he swallowed and took my hand in his, saying, "It's a surprise."

I don't know why, but something as small as holding hands with James Potter made me want to jump for joy. My stomach filled with butterflies, and my heart fluttered. His large, warm hand holding mine just felt _right_. I smiled at him, and he blushed, making me smile even more.

Potter wasn't that bad when his adoring fans weren't around. In fact, I enjoyed his company when he wasn't acting like a player and a toerag. Maybe it was just all for the cameras and the fans.

I could really get used to this if the famous James Potter was just an average, normal teenage boy who got nervous about holding a girl's hand.

I intertwined our fingers, and we walked hand in hand in a comfortable silence, before I asked the question that had been bugging me all week.

"Potter, why did you ask me out?"

He chuckled, and looked at me with a twinkle in his hazel eyes. "I knew you were itching to ask that."

Slapping him on the arm, I laughed, "Shut up, I'm serious!"

He turned to look at me, his face grave and said, "Merlin, you're Sirius? I thought I was on a date with Evans…"

I giggled, trying to hide my laughter with my free hand, while James chuckled along with me. "Sorry to disappoint, but you're actually stuck with Evans here."

"I wouldn't have it any other way." He said, and I looked down at my feet shyly, biting my lip to hide the inevitable smile that would appear on my face.

"You still haven't answered my question." I said brightly, happy with the way this date was going. Being with Potter was easy, conversation came naturally, and he had completely dropped his pratty player persona for what I hoped to be the real him.

"Alright Evans, alright. I have one condition, though." He said, cocking an eyebrow at me.

"What is it?" I asked suspiciously, a bit wary of the answer.

"Call me James." He flashed a crooked grin.

"Only if you call me Lily." I laughed.

"Okay, deal. You really want to know why I asked you out?" He sighed dramatically, making me laugh again.

"Yes!" I exclaimed over my laughter.

"Okay, you can't mock me if I sound stupid, though! I asked you out be-"

"OH MY MERLIN! JAMESIE! JAMES POTTER, OVER HERE!"

James and I looked up to see a gorgeous girl with dark hair and chocolate eyes bounding toward us, her gaze fixed firmly on James. She stopped right in front of him, and to my shock, she pulled his lips down onto hers. James' eyes widened in shock, and he gently pushed her away, saying, "What the bloody hell?"

As if she had only just noticed I was standing there, holding James' hand, Emmeline Vance turned to me and smirked with a curt, "Hullo Lily."

What the bloody hell is right.


	8. Chapter 8: First Date Disaster

**A/N: Hello friends! I know I left you all on a cliff-hanger last time, so I did my very best on this chapter! I hope you all enjoy! I'm getting a bit of writer's block, but I intend to finish this story :) It will probably be finished before the end of June, it won't be a very long one(: I've got ideas for a full length Marauder's story, so let me know if you guys would read it, my writing style would be different from this, as this is a bit different from what I'm accustomed to! I love you guys, especially my reviewers!**** Thanks to peacock33, Ally, and VictoryNike for reviewing! It means so much to me :) The part about punching someone is for you, Ally ;) R&R :)**

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Emmeline Vance is a slag. This fact is indisputable and well known throughout the corridors of Hogwarts. She snogs any male being she can get her dirty hands on, no matter who he is. Whether he's a Slytherin or Gryffindor, she'll stick her tongue down his throat, not giving a damn about the consequences. Consequences such as breaking a girl's heart by seducing her boyfriend. Ever since fifth year and the Benjy incident, things have been quite tense between us.

Sirius told me she's not even that great of a snog, although with all her experience, I doubt that's true. He was most likely trying to spare my feelings.

"Err… hello Emmeline. You and James are well acquainted, I can see." I said, shooting James an I'm-going-to-kick-your-arse-if-you-don't-explain-yourself-soon look. His eyes were pleading, as if begging me not to get angry with him.

Well, a bit late for that. Mount St. Evans, as Sirius so kindly dubbed my temper in fourth year, was about to explode.

"Oh yes, Jamesie and I are very close. Right Jamesie?" She said, looking up at James in a disgustingly sweet and sappy way that made me want to punch her in the nose. Sometimes a hex or a jinx just doesn't bring the satisfaction of a good fist to the face.

"Wha- what? I don't know what the bloody hell you're talking about!" James managed to spit out, his gaze alternating between me and Emmeline, his eyes wide and his face red.

"What? Jamesie, don't you remember yesterday?" Emmeline said, sticking out her lower lip and pouting like a child. Sickening, I tell you.

"What the bloody hell happened yesterday, Jamesie?" I spit out the last word, finally taking my hand out of his. He winced visibly, taking a step toward me. He reached for my hand again, looking distressed. "Lily…"

Emmeline cut him off before he could say anything, though.

"Oh please Lily, you know what they say about no kissing and telling." She giggled, winking at James, who wasn't paying any attention to her. His eyes were glued on mine, and they widened when I felt the familiar sting in my nose as tears formed.

Oh Merlin, there was no way I would let James Potter see me cry. I wouldn't give him the satisfaction of knowing he could have such an effect on me. I didn't want him to know that I cared for him more than I even wanted to.

"Oh." Was all I managed to sputter out without my voice breaking, and then I turned on my heel and quickly walked down the corridor, hoping Potter wouldn't follow me, because hot tears were now freely flowing down my face.

How could I be so stupid? Potter was known for being a player, Dorcas had warned me not to let myself get hurt, and I had completely ignored her advice and my vow to stay away from him. I had taken a chance, been charmed by the bloke, and let myself get hurt. I was just another girl to him, exactly what I had feared.

"Lily, stop! You don't understand!" James called out, his footsteps pounding after mine. I kept walking briskly, hoping he would just leave me alone. James, however, being a professional athlete, was much faster than me, and grabbed my wrist, stopping me.

"Lily, please listen to me." James said, his voice desperate. I looked at the ground, embarrassed by the fact I was crying over the situation. My embarrassment just made more tears form and drip down my face, the saltiness in my mouth and stinging my eyes. James reached forward, attempting to wipe away a new tear dripping down my cheek, but stopped when I said in the strongest voice I could muster, "Don't."

I almost felt guilty when I saw hurt flash in his eyes, but as quickly as it had come, it was gone. His eyes grew dark and his lips pressed into a hard line. "Lily, you need to listen to me. Come on, give me a chance."

Sirius' words from earlier in the week flashed through my mind, and I crossed my arms, looking James straight in the eyes, trying to compose myself. "You have ten seconds. Go."

His face flashed with panic at the short amount of time I had allowed him, and the words quickly tumbled from his mouth. "That girl, Emmeline, is it? She approached me yesterday and asked who I was. I told her, and she asked if you and I were going out. I said yes, and she just threw herself on me and started snogging me! I pushed her off and told her I wasn't interested, and she just walked off! I swear Lily, nothing happened, I told her I wasn't interested! I don't even know her!" James cried, grabbing both of my hands in his appeal to me.

"Did you snog her back?" I whispered, asking my worst fear, and much to my dismay showing him one of my worst insecurities.

"Of course not!" James exclaimed, squeezing my hands, hope now shining in his hazel eyes.

"Were you even going to tell me?" I asked, hoping the answer wouldn't be what I knew it was deep down.

"Well…" James said, looking down at his shoes.

"You weren't going to tell me, were you?" It was more a statement than a question. I already had all the answers I needed.

"I didn't want to hurt you, Lily!" He practically yelled, looking desperate again.

"It hurts that you would hide something like that from me." I stated simply, all of a sudden feeling very empty and wanting to sleep.

"Lily, please! I want to be with you, I'm telling the truth!" James said, looking deeply into my eyes for something, but I refused to reveal how I was feeling. I couldn't let him know how hard this would be for me. I looked at the wall behind him and sighed.

"I believe you, I just… maybe we should just be friends… I think we rushed into this." I said, my voice small, knowing if I thought about it anymore I might change my mind.

"Lily…"

"Let's just be friends for a while, yeah?" I said, finally gathering the strength to meet his gaze. He looked completely crushed, and I wondered if I was the first girl to turn him down. Not many girls would ask to be just friends with a young, gorgeous, famous Quidditch player. I questioned my sanity mentally when James finally spoke up.

"Okay… friends." He said, giving me a small, sad smile. I returned it with a half-hearted one of my own before deciding I needed to go to see Marlene and hear her input on the situation.

"I'm sleeping over at the girl's dormitory tonight. See you soon, yeah?" I said, already turning around to head to the Gryffindor Common Room to let everything out to my best friend.

"Hey Evans?" I heard James say, and I turned around to look at him, raising my eyebrows in a silent question.

"I'm not giving up on this. Us." He said, gesturing toward me and then to himself, his usual grin finally back on his handsome face.

"Sure Potter." I laughed, hoping he was telling the truth.

I quickly walked down the corridor until I reached the Fat Lady, muttered the password, and stormed into the Common Room, grabbing Marlene, who scowled at me. She had been shamelessly flirting with Sirius, as per usual, but I just muttered, "It was a disaster," and had her complete attention. Reaching her dormitory, I laid down on her bed and she followed suit, saying, "Tell me everything."

Merlin, what a disaster of a night. Worst first date, ever.


	9. Chapter 9: Friends?

**A/N: I'll be honest. This chapter kind of sucks, and the next one will too. My writer's block is so bad, so please be kind, because I love ya'll. And summer school is killer, so reviews will cheer me up majorly! I've only been getting a few, so please leave one! I'll probably upload the next chapter tonight too. Thanks to ukie-girl, VictoryNike, and Ally for reviewing. Again, sorry for the bad chapter, it's a filler, and the next one will be somewhat similar before we finally get some L/J action. No hate pleeeeaassseeee :) There are probably like four or five chapters of this left, *sob*, so it shall be coming to a close soon-ish. Alright, I'll upload again later, so end rant... now.**

**R&R(:**

* * *

On Monday morning I decided to skip breakfast so I could avoid the stares and whispers of the all the other students that I had received whenever I ventured out of my dormitory on Sunday.

Emmeline isn't only a slag, she's a gossip too. News travels fast throughout the halls of Hogwarts.

I decided to head to Potions early after sleeping in, and was surprised to see James had already arrived before me. Before I could slip out to the loo to avoid awkward chatting, he noticed me. Giving me a giant grin, he greeted me happily.

"Hey Evans." He chirped happily.

"Potter." I smiled at him, taking my seat adjacent to his.

"How's your day so far?" He said, leaning his chin onto his palm to get a better look at me.

"Decent, I suppose." I said, copying his action.

"Just decent?" He said, cocking an eyebrow.

"Mm-hm." I replied, hoping he wouldn't ask why.

"Why just decent?"

Bloody wanker.

"Skipped breakfast, so now I'm hungry." I said, rubbing my stomach to indicate my hunger.

"Why'd you skip breakfast? It is the most important meal of the day." He grinned, running his hand through his hair, a common habit of his, it seemed.

"Dunno…" I muttered, chewing my nails, my own nervous habit.

"Come on, Evans, don't lie to me." He winked, and I squirmed in my chair.

"Didn't want to see everyone." I shrugged, avoiding his eye.

"Why?"

"They're all talking about what happened Saturday. You know, about us." I said, and was surprised when he started laughing.

"Bloody idiots! They've got nothing better to do than gossip about other people! Honestly Lily, they don't matter, don't mind them." He said after he had finished chuckling to himself.

"I can't help it! You're famous; you're used to people talking about you. I'm just… Lily." I said, blushing a bit.

"I guess I'm used to people talking about me, yeah. It gets bloody annoying, I'll tell you that." He frowned, leaning back in his chair, and crossing his arms behind his head.

"Really? You don't fancy all the fame and adoring fans?" I said, voice dripping with sarcasm, my greatest talent.

"I appreciate all of that, and I had to work my arse off to get to this point in my career, but sometimes it's too much! I'm a teenage boy, and I don't need everyone analyzing my every move and criticizing me if I make one mistake! I'm only human, I can't possibly be perfect. I just want to play Quidditch in peace!" He ranted, his brow furrowed. He took his glasses off and cleaned them with his robes before sighing and putting them back on.

"Sorry," he muttered, hand in his hair again, "sometimes it all builds up."

"I understand." I smiled softly at him, patting him on the arm. "I think you're doing a fine job if I do say so myself."

"Thanks, Lily." He grinned, and hesitantly reached forward and tucked a lock of my hair behind my ear.

Oh Merlin. What was that? Friends don't do that, do they?

Thankfully, other students had started to fill in and Slughorn started class. I turned to the front to start taking notes, and felt James' gaze linger on me for a few more seconds before he followed suit and pulled out his quill.

After dinner, I returned to the Head's Common Room to work on my homework to find it already occupied.

"Hey."

"Hey Lily."

I flung myself down on the couch across from James before pulling out my work. After a few minutes, I was grumbling to myself and muttering curses.

"Bugger, Merlin what the bloody hell is this?" I muttered not so quietly, and James looked up.

"Need help?" He snickered, putting his own work down on the table in front of him.

"Are you any good at Transfiguration?" I asked, hoping he would say yes.

"It's actually my best subject." He grinned, moving over to sit next to me.

After about a half an hour of tutoring, I had mastered all the techniques I had been struggling with. Grinning, I threw my arms around his neck, and he wrapped his around my waist. "Thank you so much! I couldn't have done it without you!" I retracted my arms and felt his hands stay on my hips for a few seconds before he pulled back as well, blushing. He shook his head, "No, you would've gotten it without me."

Rolling my eyes, I lightly punched his arm and smiled. "Just accept the compliment Potter. How are you so good at this anyways? This is your first year of school, right?"

"My parents homeschooled me. They're brilliant aurors, both of them. Transfiguration is my dad's specialty too. I'd like to be an auror someday like them." He smiled, and despite myself I grinned at the enthusiasm in his voice while talking about his family.

"So playing Quidditch is only temporary?" I asked, genuinely curious and wanting to know this boy better.

"I'll always play, just not always professionally. Dark times are ahead, and I want to do my part and help." His lips formed a straight line, and I could tell he was completely serious.

I nodded, and replied, "Me too, but let's finish these essays first. Then we can save the wizarding world."

He laughed, and we went back to working on our homework, although I noticed and secretly enjoyed the fact that James stayed seated in his spot next to me.

After a few hours of homework, chatting, and laughter, we decided to call it a night.

"G'night James." I smiled, walking toward my room. I felt a pair of arms wrap around my waist and looked up to see James smiling down at me sheepishly.

"What are you doing?" I breathed, trying to keep my heart rate under control in case James could hear it pounding furiously.

"Giving you a hug goodnight." He shrugged, as if it wasn't odd in the slightest bit.

"Wh-why?"

"Because we're friends, and I can." He winked, before pulling away and leaving me stuttering like an idiot.

"Oh, and Lily?"

"Yea-yeah?" I finally managed to get out.

"We're meeting with Dumbledore tomorrow evening. Don't forget." And with a wink, he was gone.


End file.
